Friday, July 13, 2012

Chocolate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

﻿I’ve come to the realization that I shouldn’t make cookies unless I have a group of people to share them with. I just shouldn’t. Every member of my family is a cookie monster. We simply can’t control ourselves around them.

And speaking of Cookie Monster...you’ve all seen the video of his new song, right? Yeah, you know the end of it? When he’s shoving multiple cookies into his mouth? That’s basically my family, with every batch of cookies I make.

Our cookie addiction came out in full-force with these beauties, not surprisingly. Chocolate and peanut butter has long been one of my favorite sweet flavor combinations, and putting them together in oatmeal cookie sandwich form was of course going to be delicious. I even upped the chocolate flavor by adding chocolate chips to the cookie batter. The cookies are crispy on the outside and fudgy in the middle, and the creamy peanut butter filling is just so tasty.

“It hard to look at your snack baby. But you got cookie, so share it maybe.” Cookie Monster speaks the truth. Go watch the video if you haven’t seen it yet; it’s hilarious!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Beat the butter until smooth and creamy and add both sugars. Mix well, then beat in the eggs and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, cocoa powder and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture and mix until all traces of dry ingredients disappear. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips.

4. To form cookies, scoop out 1 tablespoon of dough at a time and flatten slightly. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until set on the edges but slightly fudgy inside (they’ll harden up as they cool). Cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. To make the filling, place butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat on medium speed, drizzling in vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl as necessary. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency.

6. When cookies are completely cool, flip over and spread half of the cookie bottoms with peanut butter filling. Top with a similar size cookie. Store covered.

I made these last night and brought them into work today. They were a hit! The only change I would make is doubling the frosting recipe. I could barely taste the peanut butter frosting, which made me sad : (

I'm a Midwestern wife and mom who loves to cook and bake. I learned to cook by watching the Food Network, hovering over the women in my family, and reading an ever-expanding collection of cookbooks. For me, cooking is a form of therapy, a way to reflect on my memories and to make new ones. I'm drawn to quick, easy, and balanced meals that my entire growing family will enjoy. If you have questions or comments or just want to chat, you can e-mail me at cassiecraves[at]yahoo[dot]com.